


For the Good of the Galaxy

by Shiratopia



Category: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Force Bond (Star Wars), Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, Loneliness, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 23:44:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13134669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiratopia/pseuds/Shiratopia
Summary: Immediately following the events of TLJ, Rey has decisions to make for the good of the galaxy. What does it really mean to bring balance to the force?This is just a shameless story to fulfil my fantasy ship! Jokes on me if they end up being related in canon after all!





	For the Good of the Galaxy

**Author's Note:**

> The last of the resistance speeds across the galaxy on the Millennium Falcon while the disabled remains of First Order fleet approaches the surface of Crait.

Kylo Ren stormed from the cave to return to his command shuttle. As he crossed the expanse from the still smoldering door, the first bright streaks of wreckage crossed the sky. He stopped before the shuttle and looked upward.

Disabled shatters of First Order Star Destroyers would soon be caught in the weak gravity of the mineral moon. Narrowing his eyes to focus past the streaking debris, he focused his thoughts to one human woman. He felt her presence while in the cave, seeing the vision of her stand before him one last time. Her look of disappointment pained him more than he knew it should. Then suddenly she was gone, and he was alone.

Though Supreme Leader Snoke boldly claimed it was he connecting Rey and Kylo through the Force, the bond remained even after Snoke was cut down. Kylo knew Snoke was a manipulator and liar, but with this new fact, he once again considered how and why the Force made this bond. Perhaps Snoke didn’t create this bond as he claimed, but used its existence to manipulate and control.

“Supreme Leader!” called an officer from the shuttle.

Kylo snapped his attention to the officer, irritated at the man from being pulled from his thoughts.

The officer stalled, frozen by the angry scowl.

“What is it!” Kylo called out, terse and angry.

“Ah-we have a report from the fleet. The _Supremacy_ is a complete loss. Structural integrity is compromised. Propulsion systems down. Life support systems failing. Our entire fleet was caught by debris from the Mon Calamari cruiser’s suicide jump to light speed! Most of our ships are disabled! Time is of the essence to repair the ships before their orbits pull our entire fleet into this moon!”

Only his clenched fists betrayed his calm demeanor. “Salvage what ships we can. Abandon the rest. Regroup and await my orders.”

“What?!” Hux called out from behind. “The last of the Resistance can’t be far! We must pursue!”

Kylo slowly turned to face the surprised general. “I will pursue the remainder of the Resistance.” And the last Jedi, he thought to himself.

~~~

It had been many years since the Millennium Falcon smuggled rebels. The initial adrenaline of escape finally wore out, and the exhausted passengers now slept in any free space they could find. Finn slept uneasily sitting up with his back to the bunk where Rose lay unconscious. A few feet away, Poe slept in a similar position with his head bowed, he back against the wall. The three droids were clustered together, all silent in low power mode.

Rey’s conflicted emotions did not allow her the same respite as her friends. Instead her mind replayed the events that led her to this place. From Ben’s betrayal of Snoke to his betrayal of her. _No, that’s not right_ , she thought to herself. _We were enemies…are enemies. The only trust we held for each other was of mutual self-preservation._ She tried to make herself believe she had no feelings for Ben Solo, yet throughout her time on Ahch-To, she had unintentionally grown closer to the young man.

But as she tried to convince herself, she suddenly remembered her vision when they touched from the Force bond from across the galaxy. His hand felt so warm and so real, and for that instant in a hut on Ahch-To she could feel his every emotion. Frightened to trust, confusion, and loneliness, yet at the same time she could feel something buried below. Below conflict and regret was something else so deep that it only faintly glimmered. Yearning and hope. She may have mistaken it herself had she not met his eyes in the throne room. Reaching out for her, she could feel his lust for power, but right below the surface she could feel the desperation and loneliness. She could feel his hope for her to reach out and take his gloved hand.

When she dismissed his offer and pulled for the lightsaber, she could sense his disappointment as his fear and regret boiled to the surface. Her mind was already focused on the battle ahead of her. Once the saber was in her hand, she would have to fight Ben once more. Fortunately that time did not come as the saber split in half.

Now in the Falcon, she turned the two halves in her hands. In the forests outside Starkiller, the lightsaber would not heed Ben’s call. Instead it returned to Rey. Curious now, why did the lightsaber split between Rey and Ben on the _Supremacy_? Was it insisting their destinies were intertwined?

“He’s gone because I need to let him go.” Rey looked up quickly and saw General Organa had moved beside her. “You have the thoughts of someone conflicted.”

Rey looked back to the broken lightsaber while she calmly responded. “I can feel him searching for me. This bond that ties our minds together did not break when Snoke was defeated. The Resistance is not safe as long as I am with you. He will find me.” _Which means the First order will find us,_ Rey thought as she turned the two pieces of the lightsaber to inspect the broken ends together. “I must be ready when he does.”

“Where will you go, Rey?” the general asked her, concerned.

The young Jedi smiled sadly. “While you rebuild the Resistance, I’ll return to Jakku.” Rey held up the broken pieces toward the general. “There I’ll rebuild this lightsaber and await him.”

Rey thought of her home on the desert planet, her fear of oppressive loneliness crashing back into her at the thought of leaving Finn and her new friends. When Ben read her mind on Starkiller Base, he sensed her loneliness on Jakku and her fear to leave the planet behind. “Ben will know to find me there.” Rey paused to look up at the general. “I may not be able to save him, and I may not be able to defeat him. But for the good of the galaxy, I have to try.”

General Leia Organa placed her hand on Rey’s shoulder. For her entire life, Leia had done everything for the good of the galaxy. She knew firsthand the stress and strain of that responsibility. Though all maternal instincts screamed for Leia to protect this young woman and keep her safe, she knew this was something Rey must do.

~~~

 “Back to Jakku?!” Finn exclaimed as the Falcon touched down on the outskirts of the settlement. “What could we possibly accomplish here?”

Chewie offered a quick explanation, and Finn looked to him, confused and still not understanding wookie. Finn shook his head and looked back to Rey.

“I need to train, and Jakku gives me an environment and the tools I need to complete it.” Rey felt awful to keep this secret from her friends, but if they knew her plan to face Ben Solo alone they would insist to stay, becoming a liability. Plus the Resistance will need every person to succeed.

“So this is like a ‘solo, find yourself’ type quest, huh? I don’t see why you just can’t read these books while in hyperspace, but you will catch up with us when you’ve completed it?”

Rey forced a tight smile and nodded. “Well then,” Finn started as he stepped forward and engulfed her in a big hug. “May the Force be with you.”  After a quick pause he added, “I think that’s how the Force works, right?”

Rey felt there must have been a story there. “Right.” Finn handed her a large backpack with the Jedi texts and some supplies.  

Next she gave Chewie a hug, and he responded with a short mournful howl.

“It will be alright,” Rey offered him. Only two people now knew her plan. One she told while the passengers of the freighter were fast asleep, and now Chewie was perceptive enough to sense it on his own.   “Take care of the Falcon. Since I stole it last, it’s technically my ship!” She smiled.

Last was General Organa. For fear of being discovered, Rey and Leia embraced in silence. “May the Force be with you,” Leia whispered softly.

“And also with you,” Rey replied.

With her goodbyes complete, she walked down the gangplank and away from the Falcon to get some distance. Once she was far enough away, the gangplank closed, and shortly after the ship gently lifted off to depart the planet.

At the sight of the ship shrinking into the sky, Rey couldn’t help herself when that oppressive sense of loneliness returned. In that unguarded moment, she could feel Ben Solo’s connection force his way to her mind.

“You’re lonely,” he called softly. “I can feel it. Where are you?”

She could see him, sitting as if behind the controls of a ship. His eyes were trained on her through this vision, wide with surprise at finally getting through to her mind. Through this bond that remained, she could sense something different in him. She could still feel his lust for power and for approval, but she could also feel the start of something new. Compassion?  She steeled her resolve and answered, “I’m waiting for you, Ben, in the place where I began.”  

Rey focused once more, concentrating to seal off the bond. She had some work to do before he arrived.

~~~

Kylo didn’t need to read her feelings through the bond to know where she was. With her one clue, he remembered the interrogation room when her mind was so open and unprotected that first time when he could see in her mind the vast openness, sand swallowing the lost relics of a battle long. It was the first time he tasted an aching loneliness that rivaled his own.

He looked down to his nav computer to make adjustments to his course. He promised his uncle he would destroy the Jedi. Destroy Rey. His hand involuntarily clenched. Though his mind roiled over her dismissal, he couldn’t deny the feeling of fighting at her side. The relief of unconditional trust was something he was unaccustomed to with the First Order. Even his fellow knights of Ren would stab him in the back to replace him if the opportunity presented itself. When he awoke along on the floor of the throne room, he felt empty and now yearned for that connection he felt with Rey at his side. _Weakness_ , he thought to himself. _It was nothing more than a moment of weakness in battle. There can be no room for such blind trust._

He tried to convince himself, yet something deep inside him knew he wouldn’t…he couldn’t… kill her. He would go to her to learn the answers to the conflicts he felt inside himself. _She will turn_ , he thought. _She will join me at my side. After all, I have seen it. I have felt her feelings toward me soften. She doesn’t fear me._

~~~

Rey knew that as long as she was able to seal her mind, she could complete rebuilding the lightsaber, even if Kylo arrived on Jakku sooner than she hoped. Though there were limited settlements, the chance that he would find her amongst all the rest of the scavenger encampments that littered the desert was slim.

She hurried back to the AT-AT that had been her home. When she stepped inside, she noticed there was more sand that blew in, but for the most part it looked much the same as she left it. On the wall were her tick marks to track the passage of time, and along the floor were her few scattered dishes. She cleared the sand off the makeshift table, and pulled a piece of rolled of leather from her bag.

Rey unrolled the leather across the table and removed the small tools it protected. She then pulled out both halves of the lightsaber and placed them on the leather. She had spent much of the ride to Jakku turning and inspecting both halves of the lightsaber, and now with the daunting task ahead of her she couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

As the sun when down, Rey’s task was not yet completed and she worked well into the evening by light of a small lantern, disassembling, learning, assembling, testing, and repeating. She didn’t have any tools to fabricate something new, so she was restricted to what she could scavenge nearby.

Exhaustion steadily crept up on Rey. With a resigned sigh, she looked over the newly reconstructed lightsaber. Snapping it to life, the blue light flooded the interior. Satisfied with her work, Rey returned it to its dormant state before clipping it to her leather belt. She made her way to her small hammock in the corner and resigned herself to rest. It wouldn’t be long now, and she would face Ben Solo for the third time.

As she desperately awaited sleep to overtake her, her mind wandered to her fated meeting. She would face Ben. If he wouldn’t turn, she would need to defeat him. She had defeated him once in the forest. She was untrained then, and he was severely injured. But the hot anger she felt on Starkiller when he murdered his father was gone. After learning his story and her training on Ahch-To, she released those feelings of hate. When confronted with him, her respect for him grew until his moment of weakness. _What if there is another option?_ she thought to herself right before she finally drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Kylo checked his scanners again. Though sparsely populated, it was near impossible to find one woman on an entire planet. The First Order report of air support at Niima Outpost when the Millennium Falcon escaped was his only clue. If only he had some probe droids to deploy aboard his ship.

~~~

Deep in a fitful sleep, Rey started to dream. She was back at the island on Ahch-To when the cool wind whipped her hair around her face. She looked out over the horizon and reached out to the Force. She could feel the pull of the light side, but she could also feel the call of the dark side, though it held no temptation for her. She reached out her senses, and she could feel something else…Something familiar.

“Rey.” She recognized Ben’s voice from behind her.

She slowly turned to face him. “Ben.”

His face was soft and his eyes met hers. No longer was there anger or anxiety or power that rolled of him. For once he seemed at peace.

“Where do we go from here?” he asked. “You pull me towards the light, but I can never return there. I’ll pull you towards the dark, where you will never return from. Where do we go from here?” he repeated.

Rey’s hand went do to her lightsaber, yet Ben’s hands stayed at his sides.

“Are we to eternally battle as opposing forces?” He continued as he took a step toward her. “The Force could not be so cruel as to bring us together for that.” Another step, and this time he brought up his hands to remove his right glove…slowly…nonthreateningly. Closing the gap, he stopped and stretched out his right hand to her. “What are we to each other?”

Rey’s hand strayed from her lightsaber, and she barely caught herself before she started to reach out to him. Her mind flashed back to Kylo on the bridge with his father. She stiffened and returned her hand to her lightsaber, hesitant to be deceived as Han was.

Ben’s eyes never left hers. As if he could sense her sudden fears, he continued. “I can feel it as I know you can feel it. The Force has brought us together as balance. One of us cannot exist without the other.”

Balance…between all living things part of the Force. Her lessons with Master Skywalker, though brief, showed her what she needed to know, yet always knew.

“Balance,” Rey spoke softly. Her left hand tentatively reached out to Ben’s, and she felt his warm fingers intertwine within her own. Before she could react, he pulled her into his chest and held her tight with his left arm. She could feel his tension ease into elation. With her cheek against his chest, she could feel his lips brush past the hair on the top of her head.

Rey’s heart quickened, and she felt herself unconsciously squeeze Ben’s hand. With her right hand on his chest, she could feel it expand and contract with each breath. Suddenly she felt whole, and any thoughts of loneliness were mere memories. Reaching out with the Force, she could sense Ben’s conflicted soul rested.

“I’ve found you,” he whispered softly.

Rey’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the light while her hand went to her reconstructed lightsaber only to find it gone. She sat up on her hammock to see Ben Solo before her, inspecting her work.

Betrayed by her dreams when she couldn’t protect her mind, she froze in place, defenseless.

With a snap-hiss, the blue light once more flooded the interior of the AT-AT. Ben rotated his wrist, watching as the blade stayed true and strong.

Rey cursed herself for her vulnerability and weakness while dreaming.

“You reached out to me in your sleep,” Ben started, powering down the lightsaber, meeting her eyes as she sat up in her hammock. “You shared with me your desires.”

“Ben, I can feel the conflict within you,” Rey started as her cheeks began to redden.

“As I can feel the conflict within you,” he finished. “Your vision makes it clear, and I begin to understand now.” He tossed her lightsaber back to her. “I cannot return to the light.” He looked down, almost as if lost in thought as his mind briefly lived the fantasy of what that life would have been like.

Rey hopped out of the hammock and stepped toward him. “Ben, I don’t want to fight you, but I can’t join you on your dark path either.”

He looked up at her again, eyes locked. “Where do we go from here?” he asked, just as he asked in her dream.

For the good of the galaxy, Rey needed to keep this man from the First Order.

“Since our first meeting at Takodana, you are in my mind,” he started, almost desperate.  “Where my soul was conflicted before, you have shattered what remains. Snoke wanted to use your death to solidify my turn to the dark side, but I could not bear your loss.” His voice cracked slightly. “My dreams of power and dominance of the galaxy,” he started, barely above a whisper, “have been replaced by the curiosity of your soft touch. I can only think of the feelings you create when I imagine you at my side. To feel your trust gives me a strength I did not know existed.”

Rey could feel his hunger for true companionship through the Force. Rey opened her feelings for Ben to feel her loneliness and resolve. “The Force has brought us together, and I see now that to be together, we cannot be pawns for the regimes of the galaxy. I’ll stand with you Ben Solo, but I cannot stand with the First Order just as you cannot return to the Resistance.”

Ben almost chuckled. “Are we to run away then? To run away from our destinies?”

“Our destinies are to bring balance to the Force, not to sway the scale in any one direction.” Rey stepped closer to Ben, hands up non-threateningly.

“So you would offer yourself to me if I leave the First Order?” Ben asked, tentatively. His full lips pursed.

“I am offering myself to you, only if you are willing to offer yourself to me. We would be beholden to the balance of the Force and only to each other.”

“How could I trust you to not betray me to the Resistance?” Ben asked.

“Even through the horrible things you have committed, I can feel the conflict.” Now Rey closed her eyes, trusting Ben not to strike her down. “And I know you can feel the conflict in me as well. Together we can heal each other’s souls.” Rey reached out her hand to Ben, and without hesitation, she felt his fingers, long and strong and warm, close around her hand. She opened her eyes to see a tear on his face.

“But how can I trust you not to betray me?” he asked again.

Rey closed the gap between them, and tentatively placed a hand on each side of his face. “Trust your feelings.” She gently leaned up on her toes while pulling him gently down to her level. She closed her eyes again and brought her lips to his.

He reached out to pull her close and the pressure of his lips on hers grew urgent. He pulled back for a second before murmuring, “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I have wanted you,” before returning his lips to hers with crushing force. He slowly trailed his kisses across her cheek to the base of her ear. “If you do this, and bind yourself to me, I will never let you go,” he whispered in between kisses.

Rey could feel the full force of Ben’s conflicted soul change to passion and possession. She should have felt fear, but instead she felt a sense of peace. A fill to a void she held her whole young life. “And if you bind yourself to me, Ben Solo, I will never give up on you.”

His lips returned to hers and her fingers found themselves entangled in his soft hair. His lips were soft yet commanding, and he urged her mouth to open with his tongue. Rey was caught with the onslaught of his passionate kisses as well as the emotional fulfillment that came from Ben. He backed her to the wall filled with hundreds of lonely tick marks, and pulled her legs up to wrap around him. She could feel a tight bulge rub between her legs.

“Ben?” Rey broke off their kiss, panting lightly with the heat of the moment. “I’ve never done this before…” she spoke softly.

He looked down at her, his brown eyes soft and concerned. “I’ll help you Rey. You will never be alone anymore.”

Rey smiled shyly and brought a hand to caress his face, lightly tracing the scar she left him with. When she started to trail from his cheek to his jaw, he turned his head to capture a finger in his lips and gently suckled it, his eyes not leaving hers.

“I’m ready for this,” Rey started, and Ben set her feet back to the floor. He quickly pulled off his cloak and tunic before removing his boots and pants to reveal his readiness for her. Rey’s eyes were instantly drawn below, and she froze. Ben could sense her fear, and took one of her hands in his. She brought her eyes back to his as he gently spoke, “Are you sure you are ready for this?”

Rey bit her bottom lip gently and nodded. She took her hand back to slowly remove her tunic and remove her boots and pants as well. Ben stood, staring at her. Embarrassed, Rey reached out to pull him to her, if for nothing else than to break the stillness.

Instantly his lips were on hers again, this time with more need than ever. He placed his hands behind her and once more lifted her up against the wall. Her hands were free to explore the skin on his chest and back, while he moved his shaft to the base of her opening.

Rey could feel the tip, wet with his eagerness mixing with her own wetness. As Ben moved his kisses to her neck, he slowly lowered her down onto his shaft, filling her. A short tear and a brief instant of pain caused Rey to gasp involuntarily.

“The worst is over,” Ben whispered to her. “Let your feelings be free. Passion is not solely reserved for the dark side.” Slowly Ben moved out of her, and she moaned softly at the feeling. After a long stroke, he pressed back in, doubling her moan. As his intensity picked up speed, she suddenly felt his hands on her breasts, massaging and teasing. Her eyes grew large and she looked down to see herself suspended in the air by what she assumed was Ben Solo’s use of the Force.

As their pace quickened, Ben dropped one hand to between her legs, finding her most sensitive part and rubbing his thumb in little circles around it. “Ben,” she softly moaned past his lips. Open to the Force, Ben could feel her near climax. Quickening his pace once more, he brought his free hand to the back of her head and gently entwined his fingers in her dark brown hair.

As she climaxed, Ben could feel himself rise to meet her, calling out her name as he came.

He brought his hands to each side of her face, and gave her a long, tender kiss before resting his forehead against hers. “We will never be alone again,” he whispered removing himself from her inner folds and slowly lowering her back to the floor.

Rey’s legs were weak and she collapsed against him. He held her gently, whispering for her to rest. With their Force bond fully opened, she had exhausted herself by taking in all of Ben’s emotions during their love making. Her eyelids fluttered closed, content and safe in his arms. He kissed her once more gently on the forehead, for the first time in his life feeling complete.

~~~

Rey awoke with a start to the dull hum of hyperspace. She was unaware of her surroundings, but immediately understood that she was in a starship. She sat up, a dark cloak falling down, and she shivered as she realized that she was naked except for Ben’s cloak. She could feel the slight soreness between her legs, and she recalled what had happened. She looked around the room, and saw her clothes folded neatly near her along with her boots, belt, and lightsaber. She pulled aside Ben’s cloak and stood to dress herself.

As she finished locking her belt in place, she heard the door open behind her and felt Ben Solo’s presence. Nervous and slightly silly, she feared turning around, so instead Ben went to her pulling her into his arms and, leaning his head against hers.

“I brought you on board my shuttle when you fell asleep. We just left Jakku.” He gently turned her around to face him. He was dressed once more in his black tunic and pants, his cross guard lightsaber clipped to his belt. She could still feel his reliance on the dark side, but she could also feel his love and compassion and warmth.

He took her hands in his own, “So where do we go to start this new life?”

“I don’t know,” Rey started, uncertain. “I’ve lived on Jakku my whole life.” She smiled and shrugged apologetically.

Ben thought for a few moments. “I know just the place. There is a world in the outer rim. No one would bother us.”

“A place where we can learn from one another… Perhaps to forget the past and grow to understand the Force?” Rey started. “Are there any settlements there?”

“Very few. There’s an ocean… with an island where we can live…but…” Ben brought her hand up to his lips, offering it a kiss. “I’ll never be lonely again with you.”

 

FIN


End file.
